SILK STOCKINGS

SILK STOCKINGS REVIEWED

“Silk Stockings” proves the old adage that dancers aren’t actors. While Fred Astaire is the exception to the rule, so much of that truth falls on Cyd Charisse. Both talented dancers make this adaptation of “Ninotchka” work on a basic level. However, Astaire spends so much of his time doing the heavy lifting. The direction is ugly, the cinemascope staging feels crowded and nobody really knows what to make of the narrative. Is it a musical or a musically inclined comedy drama?

The Cole Porter tunes are fun, but there’s an underlying truth about Ninotchka that doesn’t work here anymore. You can’t make the same tale about Russians in 1939 that you could make in 1957. The result is a confusing mess that doesn’t take cultural changes into consideration. Some of the younger readers might need a comparison to make it work for them. It would be like if Warner Brothers made a Glee style musical about a Middle Eastern terrorist fighting foreigners to the music of Journey. While that would be funny, it would play incredibly tone deaf in 2016. Check it out, if you’re a WB Archive completist.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Cole Porter in Hollywood featurette

2 Vintage Musical Shorts

Trailer

A/V STATS

2.40:1 1080p transfer

DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track

RELEASE DATE: 7/12/16

Video - 95%

95%

Audio - 92%

92%

Supplemental Material - 90%

90%

Film Score - 93%

93%

The Plot Thus Far

A musical remake of Ninotchka: After three bumbling Soviet agents fail in their mission to retrieve a straying Soviet composer from Paris, the beautiful, ultra-serious Ninotchka is sent to complete their mission and to retrieve them. She starts out condemning the decadent West, but gradually falls under its spell, with the help of Steve Canfield, an American movie producer.

These DVDs are Manufactured on Demand (MOD).; to order, fans must visit The Warner Archive Collection (www.wbshop.com)